Never mind misplaced optimism, Sam Warburton could be accused of residing in
the land of clouds and cuckoos in declaring that there “is every chance”
that Wales will beat the All Blacks on Saturday.

Not only have they failed to beat New Zealand in their last 24 attempts stretching over 59 years, but Walesare on a losing five-match sequence, the final two of which came on the last two weekends against Argentina and Samoa.

While the Grand Slam champions suffered a 26-19 humbling to the South Sea Islanders on Friday, the world champions extended their winning run to 19 games with a 42-10 victory over Italy in Rome on Saturday. Steve Hansen’s team are assured of being No 1 seeds in next month’s World Cup draw, while Wales are in danger of falling out of the top eight.

The contrast between the two camps cannot be more stark, although Warburton is remaining confident. “There is every chance we can win next Saturday - I definitely believe that,” said the captain. “Whether people think that is realistic or not is up to them. But I have approached every game believing we can win it.”

Warburton came on as a replacement against Samoa and it will be intriguing to see if he is recalled by Warren Gatland in tomorrow’s team announcement. The Kiwi coach is back in charge for the last two autumn Tests and many in the Principality will believe his return from his Lions duties cannot come soon enough.

Gatland will need to assess an escalating injury list that now includes the Ospreys pair Richard Hibbard and Dan Biggar. There will also be the wounded morale to cope with. At least, Warburton admits to that.

“Since I have been involved in the starting team, the last 18 months, this has been the toughest time,” he said. “It’s been five Tests on the bounce now we have lost - I haven’t experienced that before. It is unusual, and it will be a test now for the boys to see who the tough ones are.

“It’s easy when you win, and this is a test for a lot of the players and a lot of the leaders of the squad to make sure we put things right. We are all in this together.

“I think the players are letting ourselves down. It is something we will all analyse together, and it’s the same when you are doing well and winning games. As long as we keep our spirits high, I am sure we will come through it quite quickly.”

Ken Owens, who replaced Hibbard after just 17 minutes against Samoa, is the only fit hooker in the Wales squad, while Rhys Priestland and James Hook are the other options at fly-half.